Automatic stop for mills.



Pacentml Feb. 20, I900. A. S. MARTIN. AUTOMATIC STOP FOR MILLS.

(Application filed Dec. 6, 1898.)

(N o M o d el WITNESSES 6 IN VENTOH 3 y ATTORNEYS.

No. 643,96 8. Patented Feb. 20, I900. A. S. MARTIN.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR MILLS.

(Application filed Dec. 6, 1898.

3 Sheets Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A TTOHNE 78.

In: NORRIS PEI'ERS co. PNOTO-LH'HQ. WASHINGTON. u. c.

No. 643,968. Patented Feb. 20, I900.

, A. s; MARTIN.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR MILLS.

(Application filed Dec. 6, 1898.|

(No Model.) 3 Sheets$heet A WORN/5Y8 NITED STATES ALAXANDER S. MARTIN, OF WILLARD, GEORGIA.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,968, dated February 20, 1900.

Application filed December 6,1898. Serial No. 698,468. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALAXANDER S. MARTIN, of Willard, in the county of Putnam and State of Georgia,have invented a new and Improved Automatic Stop for Mills, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for stopping mills when the supply of material being ground runs out, andis designed especially for use in connection with mills operated by water and used for grinding grain, although it is applicable to mills of other kinds.

My invention comprises the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device with the hopper shown in section. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the mill, taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan view, and Fig. 4 is an elevation of the framework and the supports for the tripping-weights. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation showing the gates and their connected mechanism by which the flow of water is controlled.

The object of my invention is to cut off the supply of water for water-operated mills. In such cases a gate or other suitable means for stopping the flow of water will in all cases be provided. This gate is connected in any suitable way with weights D and D, so that when these weights drop the gate will be closed and the mill will stop. One form of connection is shown in Fig. 5. The water is conveyed through boxes or fiu mes M and M, provided with outlets N and N, conveying water to the wheel. These openings are covered by gates O and O, which are connected with bars Q and Q. These last are pivoted to bars P and P, which are supported at one end upon any convenient support and at their other end are connected with the weights D and D. When the weights trip, the gates are closed and the supply of water out off. Two gates and their operating mechanisms have been shown to illustrate the manner of connecting the device to control more than one gate. Where a single gate is used, this may be connected to either of the weights.

'vided.

In case it is connected with the weight D the eyes 6 upon the framework and then horiv zontally beneath the under side of the framework A. To the end of the cord is attached a block L, which passes through a staple L, secured to the under side of the frame A and is held in place by means of a pin K, which passes through a hole in the end of the block L, thus preventing it from being withdrawn from the staple L. The pin K is connected by means of a cord K with the other weight D, this cord being of such a length that it is ordinarily loose, but is tightened and the pin withdrawn when the weight D falls. The. weight D has its sustaining-cord E extending through an eye 6 upon the frame and then downward to an eye 6, from whence it extends upward diagonally and then ina general horizontal direction to a point upon the framework immediately surrounding the grinding-stones. At this point the stop f, which is preferably in the form of a pin, is pro- The end of the cord E is attached to a short bar F, which is placed upon one side of the pin f, so as to resist the strain upon the cord E, and the end of the bar F is retained by engaging the end of a sliding bar or catch G. The catch G is mounted to slide within a guideway G and is actuated by being pivoted to a lever G, which lever is pivoted at one end to the frame of the mill and at its other end is connected to a cord or rod g, which leads to an arm upon a tripping-shaft H. This tripping-shaft is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and is mounted at one end in an ordinary journal and at its other end is mounted to turn in a vertically-extending slot 1 in a downwardly-extending portion I of the framework A, so that this end of the shaft may be raised when desired. To the shaft H is attached a downwardly-extending arm H, to which one end of the rod or cord 9 is attached.

shaft H from dropping.

If the shaft 11 be given a slight oscillation, it will withdraw the catch G from engagement with the bar F, and this will release the cord E and permit the weight D to drop, thus releasing also the weight D and stopping the supply of water to the mill.

The shaft 15, which operates the burs or grinding-stones of the mill, extends upward and is provided with a radial arm b of such length as to engage an arm 7L, extending downward from the adjustable end of the shaft H into the path of the arm I) when the shaft H is in its lower position. \Vhen this end of the shaft is dropped, the arm I) will engage the arm h and give the shaft a sufficient oscillation to withdraw the catch G. This end of the shaft H is normally held raised, so that the arms Z) and it will not engage each other by means of a cord J, which extends over the edge of the hopper to the point where the grain passes out. The cord J then extends across this exit-opening and upward along the opposite side of the hopper to any convenient point, as J, where it is secured to the hopper. The weight of the grain or other material being ground resting on this cord will cause sufficient friction to prevent the As soon as the supply within the hopper has been reduced so that this friction has been eliminated the shaft II will drop and the two arms I) and h engaging each other will cause the catch G to be withdrawn and the stopping mechanism to be operated.

The hopper C is placed a little to one side of the center of the mill and the grain is conveyed from the hopper to the mill by means of an inclined spout C. \Vith such an arrangement as this the mill may be put into operation and supplied with a hopperful of grain and then left to do its own work with a certainty that when the supply of grain runs out the mill will stop and the stones will not grind upon each other.

Having thus fully described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A stop mechanism for mills, comprising a gate controlling the water-supply, a suspended weight operatively connected with the gate so that the release of the weight will close the gate, a supporting-cord for the weight, guides for said cord, a bar secured to one end of the cord, a catch mounted to slide in guides and engaging one end of said bar, a fixed fulcrum-pin engaged by said bar, a tripping-shaft having a crank-arm thereon connected with the catch to withdraw it, a

mill-operating revolving shaft having a projecting arm adjacent to the tripping-shaft, a second crank-arm carried by the trippingshaft and adapted to drop into the path of the arm on the revolving shaft when the tripping-shaft is released, whereby the catch is withdrawn and the suspended weight released, and means for normally holding the I second arm of the tripping-shaft out of the path of the arm on the revolving shaft.

2. The combination with a mechanism for stopping mills, of a catch forlholding the said mechanism inoperative, a horizontal trippingshaft movable vertically at one end and having an arm connected with the catch to release it by a rotary movement of the shaft, a crank-arm on the vertically-movable end of said shaft, an arm revolving with the millspindle and adapted to engage the crank-arm of the tripping-shaft when the latter is in its lower position, and a cord or band attached to said tripping-shaft and having a loop extending across the hopper above its discharge, whereby the weight of the material in the hopper restrains the tripping-shaft.

3. A catch tripping or releasing mechanism, comprising a tripping-shaft having one end movable transversely of the shafts axis and a crank-arm on the movable end, a rotating or power shaft having an arm adapted to engage said crank-arm when the trippingshaft is at one end of its transverse movement, connections from the tripping-shaft to the catch, a band or cord connected to the movable end of the tripping-shaft to hold it away from the power-shaft, and a hopper, the band lying as a loop in the hopper and engaged by the material flowing therethrongh to hold the tripping-shaft disengaged.

4. The combination of the gate and a device for closing the same, with retaining mechanism for normally holding the gate open, aprojection on the mill-spindle, a tripping device operatively connected with said retaining mechanism and movable into the path of said projection to be actuated thereby for tripping the retaining mechanism and releasing the device which closes the gate, and an operating member extending into the path of the material and operativel y connected with the tripping device to hold the latter out of the path of the projection on the mill-spindle as long as there is a sufficient supply of material.

ALAXANDER S. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

O. O. SPIVEY, II. C. WALKER. 

